


Walking in the Footsteps of Ghosts

by FoxRafer



Category: Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-17
Updated: 2010-04-17
Packaged: 2017-10-30 03:53:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/327451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxRafer/pseuds/FoxRafer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>What if the Paths of the Dead brought forth more than an army of ghosts. Written for the <a href="http://seans-50.livejournal.com/"><b>seans_50</b></a> March and April film challenge. Set during the events of "Return of the King" some time after Aragorn had passed through the Paths of the Dead and was on his way to intercept the Corsairs.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Walking in the Footsteps of Ghosts

**Author's Note:**

> What if the Paths of the Dead brought forth more than an army of ghosts. Written for the [**seans_50**](http://seans-50.livejournal.com/) March and April film challenge. Set during the events of "Return of the King" some time after Aragorn had passed through the Paths of the Dead and was on his way to intercept the Corsairs.

He'd found himself in a field well shorn by grazing cattle, the grass thick and lush beneath his feet. His clothes were torn and stained with blood as if he'd been in battle, yet his skin burned from an unseen flame, a cool kindling just beneath the surface. An occasional echo of pain, white flashes from deep in his chest as if he had been irreparably broken, the irregular beat of his heart as if it was struggling to relearn its pattern; it all slowed his step and worried at his mind. He could not shake the belief that he should be dead, in fact that he had been dead. And somehow the idea did not alarm him. Rather, it eased his anxiety for not being among his people for it was clear a shadow still clung to the world. The sky was heavy with the evil of Mordor and if not for his strange circumstances he would be ashamed for not leading his men into battle.

Intense weariness in his limbs forced him to stop and he sat beneath a large oak to survey his surroundings. He was in the hill country of Lamedon, not far from Blackroot Vale, if his mind could be trusted with such old knowledge when recent events were still a mystery. He had no memory of his path to this place, even what land he'd passed through to find himself in this pasture. But he knew his name and lineage and was certain he didn't want to be recognized, at least not until he'd determined what power, for good or ill, had brought him here.

He closed his eyes and flinched at the unnatural silence, no birds calling through the trees or insects buzzing along the hedgerow, no livestock or the sounds of any industry reached his ears. Opening his eyes he looked for smoke trails in the sky, for any sign of life, but found none. It made no sense for this land to be deserted. The men would have left to join the war, of that he had no doubt, but what of the women and children? Pushing himself to his feet he began moving once more. There was a small homestead several yards away and he hoped to find some answers there.

His steps were painful and laborious, his lungs rebelling against the exertion, but the foul taste of Sauron thick on his tongue pushed him steadily forward. His thoughts strayed to the Fellowship and it pleased him that he could not only remember names but also their faces, but how and when he had left their company remained unknown to him. He hoped Aragorn had returned to Minas Tirith, that he and Faramir stood together against the enemy. Many miles stood between him and the White City, but whether he was physically able to complete the journey mattered not; somehow he would make his way there and be of what service he could.

**Author's Note:**

> I had a very definite idea for this that would continue on following Boromir to Minas Tirith but I couldn't get it to work. But I wanted to post something for this final challenge so I cut it off hopefully at a place that makes sense. If I can get the words to come I hope to revisit this and see where it goes.


End file.
